Device for cutting wire cables.



PATENTED JUNE 2, 1903. '0. T. MAPES. [DEVICE FOR CUTTING WIRE GABLES.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 17, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

0 u nmfl lllm (LA f m Z v r 6 w/waT/Va flaw? Patented June 2, 1903'.

Enron.

PATENT CLARENCE T. MAPES, OF GRAFTON, PENNSYLVANIA." I

DEVICE FOR CUTTING WIRE CABLE S SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 729,951, dated June 2, 1903.

Application filed December 17I 1902. Serial No. 135,638. (No modelJ T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that'L. CLARENCE T. MAPEs,

for Cutting Wire Cables, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in devices for cutting wire cable, and relates particularly to a tool or device adapted to be lowered into an Artetools may be readily engaged with the tools.-

In the drilling of wells, particularly oilwells and gas-wells, the string of drillingtools frequently become lodged in the wellhole in such a manner that they cannot be withdrawn by a'pull upon the cable or line to which they are attached; In such-cases it is necessary to lower a grab over. the string of tools in a manner well known in the art, and

. in order to readily engage the grab or other fishing device with the string of tools it is necessary that the cable attached to the tools he severed close to the tools in order that it may be withdrawn from the wellhole, and thus not interfere with the fishing operation. Solongasa manila or other soft rope or line was used in the drilling operation it was a comparatively easy matter to sever the same; but the use of manila or other soft ropein connection with such work has been almost entirely superseded by wire cable or line, and heretofore and before my invention it has been difficult to sever this wire cable or line at the desired point. This difficulty I effectually overcome by the provision of a tool or device having a cored body toreceive the cable or line to be cut and which is lowered within the well-hole after the line has been placed. therein and engages the upper end of the i'ope socket carrying the string of tools. Thetool in addition to the body portion embodies a plunger, the upper end of which is connected to rope-knife or sucker-rod jars and the lower end of which is the knife in side elevation.

tapered and formed wedge-shaped and has a dovetail which engages in a correspondinglyshaped groove provided therefor in the rear end of the cutting-knife. This cutting-knife is mounted in the bodyofthe tool and is held normally locked in the inoperative position and is only released-so that it may be forced into engagement with the wire cable or line upon the tool or device approaching-in close proximityto the rope-socket of the string of tools in the well-hole, at which timea trip carried by the body of the tool or device engages with the upper end of the rope-socket and releases the knife, so that it is free to be forced forward under the action of the plunger into engagement with the wirelcable line.

I have now set forth briefly the objects and the principle of the invention and will proceed to describe in detail a practical form of the invention as it .has been practiced by me and in such description will have reference to the accompanying drawings, forminga part of this application, and wherein like numerals of reference will be'employed for indicating like parts throughout the several views of the device, in which drawings Figure 1 is a detail side elevation of the device connected up to the sucker-rod jars and showing how the device or tool is lowered into engagement with therope-socket. Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional view of the device, showing a part of the wire cable orline to be cut in side elevation. 3 is a horizontal sectional View taken on the line 2 20f Fig 2. Fig. 4 is a central vertical sectional view showing the plunger in thelowered position whereby to force the knife into engagement with the wire cable orline. Fig. 5 is a detached detail perspective view of theknife. Fig; 6 is a front elevation of a part of the plunger; and Fig. 7 is .a sectional view of a part of the tool, showing the'trip which holds In so far as the device or tool itself is concerned it is of course immaterial as to how the same is connected to theoperating line roo" connected at their upper end to the lower end of the rope-knife 2, which latter is provided at its upper end with an eye 3 to receive the cable or line, (not shown,) by means of which the device or tool is lowered into the wellhole and withdrawn from the same after the cutting operation has been completed.

The device or tool embodies a body portion 4, which in the present illustration is shown circular in form, though it is to be noted that it is not absolutely essential that this body portion is circular. The said body portion 4 is provided with an opening or bore 5 to receive the wire cable or line 6 to be cut. This wire cable or line is suitably connected'to the rope-socket 7 of the string of tools, (not shown,) and the wire cable or line is placed in the opening or bore of the body portion 4 through a slot 8 cut in the side of the toolbody. After the wire cable or line has been placed in the opening or bore in the body the side slot 8 of the body is closed by a piece 9, machined to fit neatly into the slot. In prac- 'tice I preferably groove the side walls ofthe slot 8 and provide the side walls of the piece 9 with tongues 10 to fit in said grooves. This piece is machined so that when driven into the slot in the body it would normally remain in position without locking means; but to preventauy liability of the piece being driven out by engagement of its lower end with the upper end of the rope-socketl employ a locking-screw 11, inserted from the periphery of the body in such a manner as to engage both the main body port-ion and the piece 9. Formed integral with the upper face of the body portion 4, eccentrically of said face, is an upwardly-extending barrel or sleeve 12, the opening in which is in alinement with an opening or bore 14 in the body 4 and the upper end of which is shouldered off and exteriorly threaded to be engaged with the inte riorly-threaded cap-nut 15, which is mounted ontheplunger. Extendingdownwardlyfrom the lower face of the body, with its outer face flush with the periphery of the body, is a projection or guide-lip 16, provided with a concave inner face and preferably having its lower end tapered or beveled off, as shown. This guide-lip extends down alongside of the upper end of the rope-socket 7 when the body of the tool engages the latter.

The body 4 of the tool is provided with a knife slot or passage-way l7 underneath the bore of the sleeve or barrel 12, and mounted to reciprocate in this knife slot or passage-way is the cutting-knife for severing the wire cable or line. This knife as I have used the same in practice has preferably been in the form of a substantially rectangular block 18, the edges of which are preferably rounded or beveled to slide neatly and readily in correspondingly-grooved side walls of the slot or knifepassage 17. Its inner or cutting end is beveled down on one face between the side walls to form the knife-edge 19, as best seen in Fig. 5, and at its outer end the block 18 is provided with a dovetailed groove 20 to receive a dovetailed fin carried by the plunger, as will be more fully explained hereinafter. In one edge the rectangular block '18 is provided with a notch 21 to receive a lockingpin normally holding the knife retracted and acting as a trip to release the knife, whereby it may be actuated when the tool has been properly positioned. To this end I tap a hole in the lower face of the body 4, extending the hole upwardly into the body for a considerable distance and the upper part of the hole being of less diameter than the lower portion, whereby an annular shoulder 22 is formed. In this hole I place the trip-pin embodying the shank 23, a part of which lies normally in the notch 21, made in theside edge of the knife, whereby to hold said knife against inward movement until the trip is released. The shank 23 of the pin is provided With a notch 24 in its one side, which is preferably made of a length slightly greater than the thickness of the block 18, whereby when the pin is elevated and the notch 24 comes opposite to the side edge of the knife the latter is free to be forced inwardly into engagement with the wire cable or line to be cut. This pin is provided with a squared or other suitably-shaped lower end 25, which projects normally below the lower face of the body 4, whereby it will engage with the upper end of the rope-socket prior to the engagement of the lower face of the body portion with said end of the rope-socket and the pin thereby be elevated to permit the knife to be operated. The pin is held in position by a plug 26, threaded into the lower end of the hole, and through which plug the squared end of the pin extends, the pin being provided with an integral collar 27, which rests on the inner end of the screw-plug. The pin is normally held down, so as to lock the knife, by means of a spring 28, arranged-on the pin be ICC tween the annular shoulder 22 and the 001- i lar 27.

The plunger or mandrel for operating the knife to sever the wire cable or line embodies a stem 29, threaded at its upper endinto a connecting member 30, which is in turn threaded at its upper end into the lower end of the sucker-rod jars 1. The cap-nut 15 is slipped onto the stem or shank of the plunger prior to connecting said stem or shank with the connecting member 30, and the upward movement of the plunger is limited by an integral collar 31, the upper end of which engages the cap-nut as the plunger is elevated, while the downward movement of said plunger is limited by the engagement of the lower end of the connecting member 30 with the upper face of'the cap-nut 15. This plunger, below the collar or enlargement 31, is provided with a tapered face or side 32, making the plunger substantially Wedge-shaped at its lower end, and centrally throughout the length of this tapered face 32 is a dovetailed fin or wedge 33, which engages in the dovetailed groove 20 of the knife, whereby the latter is forced: inwardly into engagement with the wire-ca ble or line as the plunger descends and is returned to its retracted or normal position as the plunger is elevated.

In operation the. piece 9 is removed, the wire cable or line 6 placed into the bore of the body, and piece 9 replaced, so as to retain the tool on the cable or line, and whenthe tool is connected up tothe sucker-rod jars it is lowered into the well-hole;

of the rope-socket the end 25 of the trip-pin engages the upper end of the rope-socket, forcing said trip-pin upwardly within the body and bringing the notch 24 opposite the side edge of the knife, thereby releasing the lock of the latter, so that it is free to be moved inward. rests upon the upper end of the rope-socket the plunger continues to descend, and the wedge'shaped dovetailed fin 33 engaging in the dovetailed groove 20 forces the knife inwardly to engage and cut the cable or line 6 at a point in close proximity to the upper end of the rope-socket. Where the line tobe cut is a light one-for instance, such as are generally employed as sand lines -one ,stroke of the knife will often sever the line, though:

where the lineor cable is such as isgenerally employed for drilling or cleaning out oil, gas, or Artesian wells several strokes may be required, the jarring of the plunger forcing the knife inward into engagement with the cable or .line on each descent of the plunger.

It is to be noted that the knife is securely observed that on each upward pull on the rope or cable attached to'the jars the upper member of the jars will be elevated, and as it descends and strikes the lower member of the jars the plunger will be driven downfa'rther and the knife given a farther inward thrust, this operation being contin- While I have herein described my invention in detail as it has been practiced by me,

As the tool descends and approaches the upper end As the body 4 engages and yet in the practice of the invention I do not desire to confine myself to the specific construction shown herein and described, as it.

1. In a device of the character described,

a reciprocatory knife, a vertically-movable plu nger having a tapered or wedge-shaped end engaging said knife for actuating the same, and means for normally locking said knife in the inoperative position.

2. In a device for cutting wire cable, a body portion adapted to receive the cable, a'reciprocatory knife mounted in said body portion, and a plunger having a tapering wedge-shaped end engaged with the knife and adapted on the descent of the plunger to force the knife into engagementwith the cable and to retract said knife during the ascent of the plunger.

3. In a device for cutting wire cable, a body portion adapted to receive the-cable, a reciprocatory knife mounted in said body portion, a vertically reciprocatory plunger for actuating the knife, and a combined lock for bolding the knife normally in the inoperative position and fo'r'releasing the knife when the body portion has been properly positioned.

4. In a device for cutting wire cable, a body portion adapted to receive the cable, a knife mounted in said body portion and a plunger having a taperedwedge-shaped end for forcing the knife into engagement with the cable, substantially as described.

5. In a device for cutting wire cable, a body portion having a bore to receive the cable and provided with a slot leading into said bore,

means for closing said slot to retain the cable in the bore, an extension carried by the lower face of the body portion, a reciprocatory knife mounted in the body portion to move-across when released to force the same into engagemen't'with the cable, substantially as described.

7. In a device for cutting wire cable, a body end of the body portion for releasing said knife, and a plunger for actuating the knife," "substantially as described.

knife, and a vertically-movable plunger having a wedge-shaped end for engagement With the knife to actuate the latter when released, substantially as described.

10. In a device for cutting cable, a body to receive the cable, and provided on its lower end with a guide-lug, a barrel or sleeve carried by the upper end of said body, a knife carried by the body, and a vertically-movable plunger in the barrel or sleeve, and provided with a wedge-shaped end to engage the knife and actuate the latter, substantially as described.

11. In a device for cutting cable, a body portion to receive the cable, a knife carried by the bodyportion, means for holding said knife normally in the inoperative position and for releasing same when the body portion has been properly positioned, and a plunger operative to move said knife against the cable during the descent of the plunger and to retract said knife during the ascent of the plunger, substantially as described.

12. In a device for cutting cable, a bored body portion to receive the cable, a guide-lip carried by the body portion at its lower end,

a knife mounted within the body portion and movable across the bore and'a verticallylnovable member adapted in its descent to force the knife across the bore to sever the cable, substantially as described.

13. In a device for cutting cable, abody portion to receive the cable, a knife carried by the body portion, means for holding said knife normally in the retracted or inoperative position and for automatically releasing the same when the body portion has been properly positioned, and a verticallymovable member adapted in its descent to move said knife against the cable to sever the same, substantially as described.

14:. In a device for cutting wire cable, a bored cable-receiving body, a knife carried by the body and movable across the bore thereof, and a vertically-movable member having a tapering face engaging the knife and forcing the same across the bore as the member descends, substantially as described.

15. In a device for cutting cable, a cable receiving means, a knife carried thereby, means for normally retaining said knife in the inoperative position and for automatically releasing same when the cable-receiving means has been positioned, and an actuating member engaging the knife and forcing the same into the cable as the actuating member descends, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE T. MAPES. Witnesses:

A. M. WILsoN, H. O. EVERT. 

